Moco is a scaleable software system for monitoring and control of analog and digital I/O points. It is equally at home on a single computer or multiple computers networked world-wide. The computers' operating systems may be Linux, Unix, Mac, or Windows.

MoCo is built at MoCoWorks upon no-cost open source software, and it works with affordable I/O hardware (costing $35 to $300), including the following I/O bridges:

MoCo's scalable architecture is suited for a wide range of applications, ranging from home automation system, energy management projects, irrigation systems, lighting control, microbrewery process control, to a variety of distributed applications in a manufacturing plant – in other words, for industrial SCADA (Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition) systems.

A high priority has been given to building upon a solid foundation: stable, bullet-proof software foundation (such as perl), with an architecture that enables painless upgrades and backups. MoCo can be upgraded by replacing text-based perl programs – no compilation required. Configuration data can be backed up simply by saving a group of human-readable text files.

MoCo, at its present stage of development, is a functional monitoring and control engine. While it does provide versatile status and history reports, users who want customized color graphical reports will need to do this work themselves. MoCo architecture enables user interface embellishments to be added with traditional unix/linux techniques – and without the need to modify MoCo software.

System Design Goals

MoCo's designer gained his knowledge and beliefs about monitoring and control system design from experiences in sawmill automation, IC manufacturing automation, and from corporate building automation. After retiring from the corporate world, he designed MoCo, a system that strives to meet the following objectives:

- Zero cost software that can be enhanced by supportive users.

- Features that are needed for complex enterprise-level environments.

- Yet, usable for small projects such as home automation or alternative energy projects.

- Built upon supported software layers that will not soon become obsolete.

- Speed resolution of better than 1 second at single-computer level and 5 seconds at Internet level.

- Easily adapted for use in non-English countries.

Design Strategies and Tactics

No system is perfect for all situations. Even if there were a perfect system, never will a group of control engineers agree. MoCo is just one of many solutions that can do a job. The following strategies and tactics reveal how MoCo's objectives are being achieved, and if it can meet your needs:

External Aspects:

- Less expensive than the norm – in other words, low total cost per point for software and hardware.

- Points available at this time: Input, Output, Calculation, Time Clocks, Setpoints, and System Points.

MoCo has been running 24x7 for the last year in a building that houses a microbrewery, future restaurant, and residence. Presently, there are approximately 40 inputs and outputs and 40 calculation and time points. MoCo is connected to numerous temperature sensors in the brewery and on the HVAC system. It is interfaced with a Davis weather station. And, it has over a half dozen other digital and analog I/Os.